Grape harvesters comprising a multi-purpose self-propelled straddle carrier and mounting mechanism of the type defined in the preamble are well known in the art (e.g., from FR-A-2 536 949 and FR-A-2 554 668).
The machines described in the two documents above have greatly simplified the process of exchanging equipment in these machines, for example, in the replacement of grape-harvesting equipment with vine treatment equipment (e.g., for spraying, pruning, etc.) or vice versa, as the inventions described in these documents have removed the need for heavy hoist equipment such as travelling cranes, gantries and/or equipment exchange pits. However, these machines have the inconvenience that a relatively long period of time is required for changing the equipment. In fact, the process of aligning and docking the main frame of the self-propelled straddle carrier relative to the auxiliary frame that carries the new equipment to be installed on the machine in replacement of the removed equipment, is time-consuming, requiring considerable attention and often compelling the driver of the machine to recommence the manoeuvre several times over before the two frames are brought into relative positions that allow them to be coupled and affixed to each other by detachable connection mechanism. For instance, the time required to carry out the approach, alignment, docking and coupling procedure is frequently one hour or longer.
Hence, the object of the present invention is therefore essentially to provide mounting mechanism, of the type defined in the preamble, which allow rapid coupling and uncoupling of the two main and auxiliary frames in relation to each other.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there are provided mechanism for mounting equipment intended for installation on a multi-purpose self-propelled straddle carrier for the cultivation, treatment and harvesting of fruit-bearing shrubs planted in rows, said mounting mechanism comprising:
on the straddle carrier, a main frame mounted on ground-engaging wheels with lifting devices between the wheels and the main frame for selective lifting and lowering of the main frame with respect to the ground;
on the equipment an auxiliary frame suitable for connection to the main frame using detachable connection mechanism;
a number of elongate supports for supporting the auxiliary frame on the ground when the auxiliary frame is separated from the main frame,                the main frame and the auxiliary frame both including two parallel and substantially horizontal girders, characterised in that said mounting mechanism further comprise:        
on one of the main or auxiliary frames, longitudinal guidance mechanism, operable to co-operate with the two girders on the other frame for guiding the two frames with respect to each other when the main frame moves longitudinally in relation to the auxiliary frame while being supported by the elongate supports; and
a stop member on at least one of the frames, able to co-operate with the other frame for limiting the longitudinal path of travel of the main frame along the auxiliary frame and to define a stop position that allows the two frames to be assembled and affixed using said connection mechanism.
Advantageously, the mounting mechanism may comprise one or more of the following features:                two elongate front supports and two elongate rear supports are provided, with lengths and/or connection points for the auxiliary frame, so that the two girders on the auxiliary frame are inclined at an angle of about 4 to 5° to the horizontal, when the supports are sustaining the auxiliary frame;        the two girders of one of the two frames have a predetermined spacing and comprise two caisson profiles, and the two girders of the other frame have the same spacing and each have a structure forming a channel suitable for receiving one of the two caisson profiles and forming mechanism for guiding in a longitudinal direction;        the two caisson girders belong to the main frame and have a rectangular cross-section, and the two girders on the auxiliary frame have, at least for a substantial part of their length, a profiled structure with a cross-section in the form of an inverted U;        the auxiliary frame comprises, at the front end of each profiled structure, an anti-friction device suitable for engaging the upper surface of the corresponding caisson girder on the main frame that is received into the profiled structure;        said anti-friction device may include a roller mounted for rotation about an axis located above one of the upper surfaces of the profiled structure and partly protruding into the interior of the channel in the profiled structure via an opening or a cavity provided in the upper surface of said profiled structure;        the upper surface of each caisson girder on the main frame comprises a cavity or aperture suitable for receiving the lower part of the roller when the main frame is in the stop position defined by stop mechanism;        each of the two girders on the main frame, and each of the two girders on the auxiliary frame, are provided with, adjacent their rear end, one a male part in the shape of a truncated cone, and the other a female part having a cavity in the shape of a truncated cone. The two male parts and the two female parts are suitable for fitting into each other through relative vertical displacement of the main frame with respect to the auxiliary frame when the main frame is in the stop position defined by the stop mechanism;        the female parts each have a smooth axial hole at the bottom of the truncated cone-shaped cavity, the male parts each have a threaded axial hole, and the detachable connections mechanism comprise two screws or bolts that can be inserted through the smooth holes in the female cavities and screwed into the threaded holes in the male parts;        each of the caisson girders in the main frame has at its rear end a corner-shaped structure with lateral faces converging both backwards and upwards;        each of the two female parts is fixed at the rear end of the corresponding caisson girder in a position off-set backwardly and upwardly with respect to the corner-shaped structure, and the stop mechanism comprise on the one hand a first pair of vertical plates bent into a V, which are affixed to the female parts behind them, and on the other hand a second pair of vertical plates bent into a V and affixed to the inverted U-profile structures on the auxiliary frame, extending downwardly from said profile structures behind the male parts, and having a vertical dimension approximately twice the dimension of these male parts;        each of the two profiled structures in the form of an inverted U on the auxiliary frame has lateral wings at the front end, diverging both forwardly and downwardly;        each of the two profiled structures in the form of an inverted U on the auxiliary frame has at least one lateral wing with a vertical dimension that increases from the front to the back of the auxiliary frame;        in the rear section of the auxiliary frame, at least one of the two lateral wings of each of the two profiled structures in the form of an inverted U has a lower part that diverges laterally and downwardly, away from the other lateral wing;        the detachable connection mechanism comprise two locking pins, each of these locking pins being inserted through holes with horizontal axes, which are provided in each girder of the auxiliary frame and in each corresponding girder of the main frame and which are aligned only when the lower part of said roller is engaged within said cavity.        
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for the mounting of equipment selected from a variety of various items onto a multi-purpose self-propelled straddle carrier for the cultivation, treatment and harvesting of fruit-bearing shrubs planted in rows, said self-propelled straddle carrier comprising a main frame suitable for lifting and is lowering and comprising a first pair of parallel and spaced girders, the equipment being supported by elongate supports when in a state of waiting prior to installation on the self-propelled straddle carrier, and comprising an auxiliary frame suitable for connection to the main frame by detachable connection mechanism and comprising a second pair of girders, said method being characterised in that it comprises:
a) using, for one of the first and second pairs of girders, two girders having each a structure that forms a channel suitable for receiving and guiding one of the girders of the other pair of girders during longitudinal displacement of the main frame with respect to the auxiliary frame supported by the elongate supports;
b) moving the self-propelled straddle carrier to a position so that each of the girders of the first pair is aligned in substantially the same vertical plane as a corresponding girder from the second pair, and the end of each of the girders of the first pair is at a level lower than the first end of the corresponding girder of the second pair of girders;
c) raising the main frame over a distance sufficient to make the respective ends of the first and second pairs of girders engage, the one within the other;
d) moving the main frame longitudinally with respect to the auxiliary frame to a position defined by the mutual engagement of stop members;
e) raising the main frame further such that the first pair of girders carries the second pair of girders, the auxiliary frame and the equipment borne by that frame, and eliminating the load from the weight of the auxiliary frame and the equipment unloading on the elongate supports;
f) affixing the auxiliary frame to the main frame using the detachable connection mechanism;
g) removing the elongate supports; and
h) lowering the main frame to bring the carrier to the required level for road transport or for operation of the installed equipment.
The method may also comprise one or more of the following features:                it also involves the use of elongate supports or struts with lengths and/or points of attachment to the auxiliary frame, such that the two girders in the auxiliary frame are inclined upwards from one end to the other at an angle of 4-5° to the horizontal when the auxiliary frame is supported by said supports, and step (e) in the lifting process includes pivoting the two girders of the auxiliary frame around a virtual pivot axis defined by the points of contact between the first extremities of the two girders in the auxiliary frame and the two girders of the main frame;        this pivoting step includes a positioning step during which male and female conical parts affixed to the girders couple together automatically in order to ensure precise positioning of the other extremities of the girders in the auxiliary frame with respect to the girders of the main frame;        in step (d), an anti-friction device is used between the main frame and auxiliary frame        